Resummoning
by purple-sorceress
Summary: I forgot an a/n--(~_~)--NEwayz, the 1st part of chapter 3, I waz pretty much on writer's block. But I think the last paragraphs of the chapter were decent. I'm thinking I should take this story down to revise.
1. Default Chapter

Resummoning--Prologue  
  
Yui glanced at her desk calendar in her office. Letting out a sigh, she leaned back into her chair. Today is the date. The date that Miaka, as Suzaku no Miko, had saved the world, ten years ago.  
  
So much has passed since that time, she thought. Seven years ago, or maybe a little bit earlier, Miaka and Taka announced their wedding vows, finally legalizing their fate. And everyone wondered when herself, Yui, would do the same with Tetsuya. Miaka had found her true love, but then, Yui decided to wait a little...and the result was that she and Tetsuya found out surprisingly that true love didn't exist between themselves. About five years older than Yui, Tetsuya discovered his ideals and ambitions so distinct from those of the matured Yui that they couldn't possibly be merged. And that was only the beginning. Yui had wished that Tetsuya would wait for her to make her first "impression" on the business world before marriage, but Tetsuya was annoyed by her "puerile fancies" and took up another woman, Ameko, who was reputed to be the 2^nd place winner of a beauty pageant in Kyoto, and also reputed to play the violin very well. Enough about Tetsuya. She didn't want to recall  
the painful arguments they had before the rift finally separated them and he pursued Ameko. It's enough to know they are all happy now, Miaka and Taka, Tetsuya and Ameko. Yui felt not the slightest hint of bitterness. But she still sensed in the depths of her heart pangs of loss and romantic longings for true love for herself. At 25, she remains virgin. She has dedicated her time to her career and music interests. She has no regrets about the past five years.  
  
Yui opened her eyes from her meditation. Judging from the sun's position outside the window by her desk casting warm and delicate rays over that city, it was about noon. She was in one of the best districts in Tokyo, and she enjoyed the view. Checking her wristwatch only confirmed her decision. Time to go to lunch, after today's successful meeting, she thought.  
  
She rose from her luxurious seat, unclasped her hands and set down the fine gold pen between them into the top drawer of the desk, closed the drawer, then picked up her purse from the marble floor beside the base of her chair. She walked across the marble-theme office. The doors, floor, and her desk were made from black-and-white marble. The walls were draped with a thin marble-printed satin. The custom large fan-shaped windows on 3 sides of the room lent an elegance to the room as well as a nice view of the district. The building itself had only 2 stories, yet the ceilings were 5-10 meters tall and so offered many vantage points to the tops of some of the taller buildings outside. Yui walked through the marble double doors and into a long hall, at the opposite end of which sat the grand meeting room at the northern tip of the building. She turned in the middle of the hall onto the carpeted wide stairs leading to the first floor. She preferred walking down instead of  
descending via elevator. Downstairs, on the first floor, lay a reception hall and more small offices of her employees as were on the second floor. There she continued, on her way to the main doors. She slowed a little as she passed the double fountains, one on either side of her. The reception hall somewhat resembled an indoor garden, and created a peaceful atmosphere. Yui noticed with surprise after she greeted the reception ladies that outside the glass doors and walls, a faint blue colour emanated from a flower shrub. It reminded her of ...Seiryuu. Dragon god Seiryuu.  
  
(1) Yui turns the precious blue earring over in her hands. Then she deposits the invaluable talisman in her purse, where she had left the first earring earlier. There is no doubt about it: Nakago's other earring. Even after all that has gone on in the other world, the earring has been left intact, she wonders. She raises herself up from her earlier stooping posture. She peeks over the shrub. No one has seen her. As soon as she stands up completely, though, she is stunned by an extremely bright flare of white.  
  
[sound of large temple doors opening]  
  
and[sound of large temple doors closing]  
  
Yui opens her eyes after the flood of white light subsides. She reaches for an object, any object, to break the fall. After many scratches, she manages to grasp onto a lower branch of a redwood tree. Her purse is wrapped around her left arm while her right hangs on. She struggles for a better hold while dangling dangerously from the tree. Her fingers numb and arms sore, she edges towards the trunk, where she will be able to swing her legs onto another branch and figure out from there how to climb down the distance of what she judges to be a good twentisome meters. Willing herself to keep moving, each second steals away a significant unit of her strength. Finally she reaches the security of overlapping branches, and hauls herself into a safe sitting position.  
  
Yui looks around at her serene surroundings. The trees are strong, tall but sparse. This must be Sairou Country, she recalls. She remembers the hazy clear sky, the turquoise grass, the soft yellow earth...how interesting that she should still draw her memories from so long ago as easily as if it just happened yesterday. As always, Sairou Country is so calm and peaceful.  
  
Yes, peaceful is just the word describing Yui's surroundings. Yui feels a little more rested now, but of course, at the most critical of times, she is subdued by thirst, exhaustion, and the most obvious, hunger. So much for my lunch, she thinks.  
  
The sudden shift back to ancient China is completely an enigma. What does China hold for me now?  
  
What am I to do? China is a beautiful land, yet I do not know how to navigate in this ancient home.  
  
Home?  
  
Come to think of another aspect of this, shouldn't she be in Kutou now? After all, she was Seiryuu no Miko, and she had nothing to do with Byakko no Miko. At least now. (Sairou has no one to help Yui.) And even though Sairou is a pleasant place, Yui still hasn't eaten any lunch, or any food at all so far today. (^_^)She is just like the author, rarely eating breakfast.~SD(^_^) She ponders the reason for drawing her into the world of the Four Gods. (Was it Byakko or was it Seiryuu?) More importantly, however, was the fact that she finds herself stranded, which had never happened before. Neither had she fallen from such a high place into Shi Jin Tenchi Sho, either. Such a strange title. Such a mysterious world.  
  
Suddenly the voices of men alert her. They are so low that Yui cannot make any sense out of them, but, turning her attention downwards, she sees two men and a girl walking down a path near her tree.  
  
"So you know what happened to onee-chan?" a mellow female voice escapes from the throat of the young girl strolling between the two men. The one on her left is a young man, albeit with a strange, evil, almost familiar aura, that Yui almost recognizes. The man on the left of the girl resembles...Kutou's former monarch.(!)  
  
The three of them are of course unaware of the presence of Seiryuu no Miko, situated in the tree above them. They turned off their path to rest beneath the tree's shadow. A warm breeze blows by. The girl's voice is loud and clear, but the men, apparently taking a little more caution, speak in a murmur which Yui has to strain her ears to comprehend. The elder man is explaining something to the younger..."As soon as you and that little monk didn't want to serve Seiryuu, your seishi powers were transferred to others. And that flute player, Kaika, likewise released his seishi power unconsciously after I began to control him. Looks like the will of Seiryuu is more powerful than we ever thought or predicted, and we should better find the rest of our power elsewhere." Meanwhile, overhearing in the branches, Yui realizes with a start that this youth is no other than the reincarnated Tomo, and he, together with probably the resuscitated Miboshi, must have had betrayed Seiryuu. She  
has hardly any idea how this notion came to her mind, but as she glares in anger silently at the young man, her doubts immediately vanish when she sees for herself that, indeed, the former Tomo's scorning look was exactly as she had remembered it. She already sees trouble brewing, and these betrayers of Seiryuu must be the reason she must return. Or is it? Is this the whole reason?  
  
"Father, what if Seiryuu decides to interlope? What will we do?" the girl speaks again, seemingly fairly concerned. Seiryuu, I think, has already interloped, thinks Yui. Or is it Byakko?  
  
"Unless summoned, Seiryuu will not lend direct powers to the people. That would be beneath the dignity of such an arrogant deity," the man explains. Arrogance? In refusing to debase himself to deal with these lowly traitors? But that is not arrogance. Ha. However, the "interloper"'s thoughts are interrupted by the younger man's blunt response: "But summoning is impossible since his miko has already summoned him and returned to her own world. And it is unlikely for yet another Seiryuu no miko to appear--our spies have detected nothing strange going on in Kutou thus far." He smirks.  
  
"So Seiryuu will not personally bother us. But what about his new set of seishi? How strong are they?" the-former-seishi-turned-evil raises a question.  
  
"The former Seiryuu seishi, though uneven in distribution of power, had another distinct weakness: failure to cooperate. Miboshi was not favored because he used dark magic, and Tomo unwelcomed by the god simply because he was born in Hokkan Country, not Kutou. Both were given less powers." The elder man strays off the topic as he now speaks bitterly. "Thus," he continues, "theoretically, we have only to play off the fact of their uneven powers and manipulate their tensions to single them out. And we always have the powerful illusion..." At this all three let out an undignified and raucous laughter, which horrifies Yui.(SD_Obviously they are a family.) ---O help, Seiryuu!  
  
They leave, and Yui feels an impulse to jump off the tree now. (Again, this is not logical, but a figment of her impulsiveness. Even though around Miaka she does not admit it, Yui does have a good, impulsive instinct in such dangerous situations. Somewhat like Miaka.) While in high school, Yui had developed skills as a gymnast. (That high school even would have been Konan Academy if Yui hadn't decided to stay with Miaka, who was her best friend, after all. Miaka, at this time, still is her best friend.)  
  
Letting go of these irrelevant thoughts, Yui focuses her concentration on landing, and hurls herself gracefully through the air, regains balance after flipping twice by arching her back slightly. She lands with perfection.  
  
Not bad at all, she thinks to herself silently. Now, where can I get something to eat here?  
  
With a flash she is engulfed by a flare of white and transported back to just outside her office building, by the shrub. She immediately senses an aura and, instinctively, she starts walking in the direction of the plaza in the suburb. Hopefully, I can finally buy something to eat now. The thought freely floats into Yui's consciousness. She had gone without food and drink in that tree for at least 2 hours. She looks at the clock tower at the front of the plaza.  
  
The new aura that she picked up emanates from the steps of the newly-built tower. The tower is a reconstruction of an ancient garden pavilion, set in a beautiful traditional garden in the vicinity of the plaza, yet the crystal tiles on the "roof" are strikingly iridescent. Yui gazes upon the tower with fondness. After all, she had been the one who designed the structure. Somehow, in the past ten years, she had acquired new talents. One of them was designing ancient architecture.  
  
This "talent" was really, rather stemming from a reminiscence of the world of the Shi Jin Tenchi Sho, and is nothing compared with her gymnastic skills and her artistic abilities, particularly an expressiveness, which finally blossomed in these past ten years.  
  
Yui smiles to the security guard and he opens the gate for her. She is one of few actually permitted to sit in the special garden. She comes to the steps of the "tower", which is only termed so because the pavilion rests on a little mountain of stone, towering above the plaza. Clocks hang on each of the four sides of the pavilion.  
  
^^Yui looks up, catching an evanescent image of Seiryuu in the pavilion's centre. The dragon god is beckoning me again. Then...why does the aura belong to Byakko?^^  
  
And yet another strange thing perplexes her. Someone...projecting a sense of...waiting? Someone waiting for her? A discovery finally dawns in her consciousness. (She may not be able to explain the aura stuff and all that, but she now comprehends that the gods of Shi Jin Tenchi Sho are allowing her to eat something before journeying into the book world again, since she doesn't know where to get food.) She glances up; the clock time reads 12:15. Separating the ten minutes it takes to get to the plaza, that leaves only about ten more minutes passing in this world. She runs down the miniature mountain path, runs out the gate, telling the guard she will be back, and goes to eat her favorite dish at a Chinese ramen restaurant not far away. She eats forcing herself not to cram the delicious food down too quickly. She finishes her drink, too, after a little while. More thoughtfully, gripping her purse, all this time still with her, she purchases a reasonably-sized waterbottle. For  
the travel. And so she returns to the pavilion.  
  
The third transport occurs just as the busy plaza offers no curious eye in the direction of Yui...well, except for Miaka.  
  
Miaka identified the blonde figure in her sophisticated ivory business suit as Yui. Her best friend. Suddenly, out of nowhere, a blinding white light flashed, and Miaka had no choice but to blink. The other people seemed to be oblivious, unaffected by this light.  
  
The most important thing was, though, Yui had disappeared with the brilliant whiteness. Miaka was certain this was no illusion. She ran over to the spot where she had last glimpsed Yui a minute earlier, ignoring the security guard. A white scroll lay at her feet: "This is a story of a woman who became the priestess of Seiryuu..."  
  
She whispered in shock: "Byakko?" 


	2. part_2

(2) As the white light fades, Yui finds herself just outside the temple of Byakko. She decides to confront Subaru and Tokaki, the Byakko seishi 100+ years old. Remembering Tatara's hostility the last time she was here, she was prepared for possible rejection. But she knows she must have a duty to tell them about the 3 "illusion" people she had overheard. What else could she do?  
  
Miaka explains to Yui's secretary over the phone. "Yui-san won't be going back to work today. I invited her over...all right then, ja."  
  
Subaru and Tokaki glare at Yui in the temple. They have an unforgiving look. With a splitting pain, she finds she cannot even bring herself to speak. How will she explain anything? She was the direct reason for what had befallen Tatara, wasn't she?  
  
Seeing Yui so silent and...perhaps penitent, Subaru wonders the reason for the unannounced arrival of Seiryuu no Miko. It can't be for evil purposes, by the look on that young face. But she could not think of any good reasons that Yui would come. She decides to wait. Her husband, Tokaki, on the other hand, is not so calm. He jumps at the foreigner, intending to kill her for Tatara's sake. Seeing her reminds him of many painful memories of Tatara.  
  
Before Tokaki could even get close, however, a blue aura permeates Yui, and a lucent swirl of white gently carries Tokaki away from the maiden. Undoubtedly the protection of Byakko. Both guardians are simply amazed at this unexpected turn of events. Dazedly, Subaru offers a stool to Yui, Chosen by both Seiryuu and Byakko?  
  
Yui lies on the luxurious bed, staring up at the ceiling. It had taken time. It had taken time to relate what she had witnessed in the tree, time to express how lost she felt, time to beg, sinking to her knees as she pleaded for forgiveness. And now, resting in their guest room, Yui could hope for no more. Tokaki and Subaru had been quite willing to listen to her confession, her own voice choked with expiate tears, for some reason unbeknownst to her. The two Byakko seishi almost seemed to have forgiven her and calmed her down, showed her all around the serene, beautiful temple grounds, and gave her this nice room to temporarily stay in. This room had actually been Xifang's room. Xifang, as the couple informed her, married to a good-hearted courtier in the imperial court. The young man had been quite good-looking, at least when they married her, almost twenty years ago. Yes, that it how long had passed since she last came. Twenty years. What has become of Kutou in these long  
twenty years? Twenty years. The thought echoed through her. What has become of Seiryuu's other seishi?  
  
At dinner that night, all three of them had discussed the plan. Tokaki and Subaru should remain at the Byakko shrine, while Yui should go on to find the rest of the Byakko seishi, except for Tatara. Sairou Empire will probably be protected under the powers of Byakko. Nevertheless, they should still be prepared for Hokkan trouble. However, the two experienced seishi could still make no headway as to Yui's real role in the enfolding situation. Yui is to set off tomorrow finding the seishi.  
  
She blinks, and now admires the artwork carved into that gilded ceiling. Everything is calm. A whole new day awaits her tomorrow. So why can't she sleep?  
  
She sighs. Then pushes herself up, and lights a lamp. She sits down by the mirror, combing her long golden hair. The businesswoman in the ivory suit looks back at Yui, as she contemplates her appearance. Blonde hair and blue eyes. So unusual for an Asian. An extremely rare combination of eye genes and hair alleles, the doctor explained. Her silky hair falls to her waist. Yes, except for the color and the clothing, she could be taken as a wealthy court lady from an ancient scroll painting, with elegant hair that long. Yet she has also a rare, considerably deep cultural tie to China, for a citizen of Japan.  
  
I suppose I was born this way.  
  
She sighs again as she remembers last time in the book. That time I was truly a figure to be painted on beautiful scrolls. The priestess robe is just so beautiful.  
  
She returns to the richly draped bed. Placing her lamp down, she then walks to open one of the windows. Silver beams shine through tree branches. So peaceful. She would love to live in such a place. For a hundred years, even. Looking through the branches, a waterlily pond is separated by a stone bridge, and the shores are lined with other flowers and trees. Almost every one is a symbol of either strength or wealth. Are these the plants that Tatara had spent his entire life cultivating, to pass the time to wait ninety years for Oosugi Suzuno? Above all I love the winter plum and the weeping tree.  
  
Would anyone be even willing to wait that long for me? No. I don't deserve that. I wonder if Genbu no Miko fell in love with seishi?  
  
Finally she goes back to lie down on the bed, and falls asleep..._Men pushing and shoving me, trying to grab at my breasts...I kick at the horrid beasts and scream for help, to no avail...Nakago rescues me...He is cruel to everyone...Death...Everywhere...Because of me._  
  
"Yui-sama, it's all right...I'm here." His voice, as clear as it was ten years ago...so comforting at that time, so comforting now. His voice is so affectionate and warm...from a person I had so neglected. But after losing his only relative in the world, he only thought about pleasing me, and about protecting me. Strong and suffering...that had been his fate. "Aniki! They took away my Aniki!" He had so precious little to start with, yet he lost it all...his seishi powers were never fully developed before he died...at 15. Shunkaku.  
  
How I remember those pain-shot eyes most of all. I was the one who killed you, wasn't I? Otherwise, you'd never have gone to harm Miaka, and Tamahome wouldn't have confronted you. Or was that Nakago's orders, too? There's too much I don't know...But I'm responsible for your death. As always, I'm sorry. But what good would that do, anyway?  
  
Yui is awake because of the nightmare, a collection of scenes that had haunted her shortly before her breakup with Tetsuya and is re-haunting her. Tears roll from her eyes. Crying? Again? Still? If only you knew how much I hurt when you died. You would understand...you always listened, though I didn't want to tell you...you always accepted...you were the only one truly there for me.  
  
I'm sorry I couldn't love you, Suboshi. I was too consumed by my anger that I refused to acknowledge I wanted anything but vengeance.  
  
And all those times you were there with me, I am very grateful now, though at the time I pushed you away...I'm sorry, Suboshi. Perhaps...perhaps...if I had not been blinded by Nakago and the circumstances...we could have been more.  
  
Yui shakes off the haunting scenes of the nightmares--all so real. After all, she is back in the Shi Jin Tenchi Sho again. Anything could happen now, right? Anything...she knows nothing, can predict nothing. But my one hope--please, Seiryuu, let my seishi be well. They just deserve so much more. At least excluding Nakago, Miboshi, and Tomo. But, O Seiryuu, I hope for nothing myself, but please, be kind to Ashitare, Soi, and the twins.  
  
Choking with tears again, she relights the lamp and walks over to the silverplated windowsills. So this is it, isn't it? Only now, after ten years, do I give my seishi any real thought. Why is that? They went through even more than me.  
  
So this was the reason...Subconscious guilt, fanciful daydreams about someone who was...right, but turning away date after date.  
  
But all this time, did I ever pray for my seishi? Except for in nightmares, did I even think about their existence? O, Seiryuu, was this the unutterable cause of my emotional misery? Neglecting my seishi...escaping from my past, I plunged myself ever deeper into career. Now I understand...to feel complete, I must care for my seishi. They swore to protect me. And what they got back all these years was...not even a single moment of empathy or affection? I care for them now. I care for them so deeply now. Does that even matter? Isn't this the guilt, that has nagged me for so long? Isn't this welling of subconscious hope for my seishi that had kept me awake on those nights without sleep as I worked through projects and masterpieces? No, I don't hate them. Not even Nakago, the cold-hearted jerk who kept directing his past pain onto others, long after he stopped to suffer the pain for himself. Nakago, who made me suffer.  
  
I just hope that every single one of the present Seiryuu seishi is happy with a good life, with all the luck that they wish for in this world.  
  
At just that instant, as Yui berates herself for her general failure, a miracle occurs. A strong gust of wind blows by, snapping off an entire half of the tree, in order for the branches to stop obstructing the bright moonlight and starlight in the sky from Yui, the Seiryuu no Miko. Yui looks up, and the constellations are shining more scintillatingly than she had ever seen. Thank you, Seiryuu.  
  
Suddenly Yui makes a decision. She drags a bamboo mat and a sheet onto the centre of the spacious room, where the light of the dark night sky and the tranquil sounds of ripples in the pond pass through the tall windows, lulling Yui to rest.  
  
Her first night returning to the Shi Jin Tenchi Sho.  
  
Far away, Miaka sheds tears as her best friend finds peace within herself. She is sitting in her own home. 14:00. So there's still time. Three hours until her son needs to be picked up from elementary school. Eagerly she unrolls more of the scroll, hoping for the best. Her heart is warmed at discovering that her best friend wakes up feeling thoroughly rested. So...Yui is watching the dawn. How picturesque. She almost wishes she is there in place of Yui now.  
  
The faint aurora glows with glorious shades of orange-pink, rosy-lavender, and warm blends of maroon and yellow invading the space of the clear blue sky streamed with white clouds, resembling the faintest images of dragons and phoenixes; Yui, exhaling all her apprehension of the coming day and its tidings, now breathes in a fresh concoction of mountain air, mixed with garden scents.  
  
She feels ready for anything. She knows that now, she is strong. Strong with the force of determination of her seishi.  
  
Yui rolls up the bamboo mat and all the while cannot stop herself from thinking that to live in such a room with these resplendent furnishings is like reliving the miko life again. This room has elegant views like that of an aristocratic mansion. Well...almost living the miko life again, considering the fact that now I don't receive nearly as much respect provided from the people as I used to. Am I still a miko? Possibly a miko? 


	3. part_3

Noon. The sun beats down on all that are in the path of its warm rays. Here the road forks into three; a north road, a south road, and an east road. Which way?  
  
Yui looks out the window of the Chinese carriage. She points to the left. "The north route?" the driver asks in confirmation. She nods. This is a blind search, anyway. And besides, this route would be closest.  
  
Drawing the door curtains open, she takes in more of the Sairou scenery—somehow, although the arid, cracked, rosy coloured earth of this particular region is far from the verdant, seemingly eternal beauty of the landscapes of Konan and Kutou, the land still held undeniable charm. The yellow and red colours of the ground so accentuate the sky that in the horizon, everything forms into an indistinct and amorphous haze composed of nameless shades of colour blends. So this is the tranquility of the western empire. Four kingdoms, all unique in their beauty. [So beautiful is the enchanting land called ancient China.]  
  
(In Genbu Country)  
  
A man looking about thirty with straw-blond hair, blue eyes, and a determinedly good-looking face sits in the village elder's house, and politely asks where his parents are. He then listens in disappointment and a partial disbelief as the village head explains how his mother has died and his father left home to search for him, two years ago. The middle-aged man just shakes his head, as if in disbelief. "They…Kaa-san(Mother)and Tou- san(Father)just can't be gone. If you say that my mother passed away, then where is her grave marker? Where is it, liar?"  
  
The village head replies: "She was cremated. Her deathbed wishes. Your father took her ashes with him."  
  
The sandy-haired man slams his fist down on the simple wooden table in the small room that he was sitting by. His facial expression is one of both total despair and anger. The table cracks into two and his expression softens. "I'm sorry…I will work to pay for this."  
  
"It is all right, Kaika. We all know you have a warm heart few can match. We understand your frustration. This is not something you would do under any other circumstances. May we know why you left us so very many years ago?"  
  
The country north of the capital vibrates with an air of celebration as Yui watches the people harvesting the fields, a rich golden expanse rising up and down like ocean waves with the winds. The Harvest Festival is not far away! I wonder if the harvest is as rich in Kutou…The atmosphere here is so happy and mesmerizing…I wish Miaka was with me on this journey, or rather, perhaps Suboshi, someone to share the joy with me.  
  
"The next town is only a li more away." the driver announced. Yui now throws open the curtains to let the wind brush against her face. She forgets her loneliness, and casts herself in the role of one of the villagers, exulting in the triumph of the harvest as a result of the toil and effort of the previous months, exulting in the villagers' reward.  
  
On the horizon, at the foothill of the mountain, simple brick houses and more elaborate wooden houses snuggle around what appears to be a stone temple, carved into an interesting design. As the carriage approaches the settlement, merchants and people with cartloads of goods and harvested grains crowd the road. Yui is surprised at the bustling nature of the place, all the pleasant commotion and children running everywhere, all signs of joy and hope that always precede a festival. Her eyes widen as they travel from houses to food stands to ceramic displays that the common people could now afford.  
  
Yui's carriage ambles along as waves of people flood past the carriage in a rapid, streamline motion. She is now at the prosperous delta at the village entrance, formed by connecting two traveling roads with the main path, along which rows of building, now doubt housing the most important people of the village, stood modestly. Yui takes a look at some of these as her carriage moves cautiously away from the booths and heads down the main path, where some lodging should be found. Some respected merchant standing outside the door of his home—his very warm gestures seem to congratulate various people—his dwelling, while unelaborated in appearance, nevertheless communicates his high status with taste: elegant hard wood furnishings, outside and inside, coated with black lacquer, a stately courtyard with bamboo that reach over the walls. All this Yui has been able to observe in a matter of seconds, since the eye takes things in faster than the brain can process. She takes one long look back, having to turn her shoulders out of the carriage window in order to do so. Only after she turns and steps out of the carriage, stopped at the hotel diagonally across from the merchant's house, does she hear the frantic screams: "Fire! Fire!"  
  
(Kaika smirks victoriously as he dashes from rooftop to walls, escaping from the concentrated attentions of the village head and other village citizens as they work themselves to death to put out that pathetic "fire" he started. How easy it would be now to get out of this place, now that it brings him little more than disappointment. He had expected to find his "parents", and then to question them on Yunsuwa, his little "cousin." Of course, she was the first person he suspected of possessing Byakko's powers. But now, even after this "disaster" scenario, Byakko's seishi fails to show up. The only thing to do now is go out to search for the next seishi, as the seishi that was supposed to reside in this town has mysteriously disappeared…for how else would the chi suddenly fade away, unless that seishi could mask their chi like Nakago? That's not very likely, he had concluded, so it's time to leave this place, and spend time on a slightly worthier pursuit. Hey, if luck is with him, perhaps the first mystery seishi has already met some great misfortune and is currently dead. Well, maybe that's too much to hope for, but no use spending time here any more.  
  
Then, suddenly, over the rooftop of the town's hotel he pauses. What is that aura he just sensed? Deciding to take a peek, he sweeps down the shingles and leans over the edge. A stronger chi…A Seiryuu chi, yet how could that be except…what, it's the Seiryuu maiden? How the heck could she have gotten back into this world? Deciding that he has better uses of his time, he throws away the thought, and the very source of his confusion. What matters now is how he could use her in some way. To gather information. Something from his instinct tells him that she must also be on a quest to look for the seishi. He grins inwardly as he formulates a new plan, and leaps downward, as predator swiftly pounces on prey.)  
  
Yui stands, speechless and staggered. The fire somehow seems to make everything simply difficult. How could she inquire about white characters flashing on someone's forehead when everyone is obviously panicking about the fire and what it will do to their homes and what it will do to absolutely ruin the joyous atmosphere of the Festival? Swarms of people, women and men, adults and children alike, are now running past her towards the fire, fortified with buckets of water to put it out. She wonders what she could do now—help them bring water, or perhaps try to figure out a more scientific way to put the fire out? Well, if they could start another fire, a little higher, on that roof…  
  
"Lady Yui?" She turns around. Then, "Lady Yui! I'm so glad to see you!"  
  
"What?" Yui exclaims, still held stationary by the element of shock, at seeing him. "Amiboshi?!"  
  
"No, Lady Yui." He runs up to her and stops to catch his breath. "I am Suboshi." 


End file.
